ON THE STREETS - people are being lined up to board buses. Scared, but compliant. Like livestock.
Nearby, a CRYING LITTLE GIRL. Alone. A soldier enters and casually LIFTS HER and takes her away. No one says a word.
LOUDSPEAKER --THE CHILDREN BEING THE TOP PRIORITY, WE NEED TO TEMPORARILY EVACUATE THE CITIZENS IN THE NEAREST TOWNS OF KIEV OBLAST.
People file into the streets, all under the watchful eye of soldiers. Some of them are barely dressed.
LOUDSPEAKER FOR THESE REASONS, STARTING FROM APRIL 27, 1986, 2 P.M., EACH APARTMENT BLOCK WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A BUS AT ITS DISPOSAL, SUPERVISED BY THE POLICE AND THE CITY OFFICIALS.
Outside, ZHARKOV, the elderly Pripyat minister who gave the rousing speech in the Chernobyl command bunker, is helped toward a bus by a soldier.
The old Soviet believer seems utterly confused. He doesn't understand... they were told it was safe...
LOUDSPEAKER THE SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF PUBLIC AND INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES OF THE CITY HAVE DECIDED ON THE LIST OF EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO STAY IN PRIPYAT TO MAINTAIN THESE FACILITIES IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.
At the buses, the soldiers start taking PETS away... adults and children CRYING as dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters... all pulled from their arms.
The people are going. The animals are staying.
LOUDSPEAKER COMRADES LEAVING YOUR RESIDENCES TEMPORARILY, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS, ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND WATER, AND SHUT THE WINDOWS.
NEAR THE HOSPITAL - Hundreds of patients on gurneys. Even more stumbling around in hospital gowns. Soldiers trying to get them into ambulances. Onto buses.
ZINCHENKO leans over a RUBBISH BIN. Vomiting. She finishes, and stands back up weakly.
Looks at her hand. It's oozing fluid through the bandage. Her other hand is bright red now. Blistering.
The Pripyat Nurse rushes over and leads Zinchenko to an ambulance. She stumbles toward it. It doesn't matter now. She's dying.
LOUDSPEAKER PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND ORDERLY IN THE PROCESS OF THIS SHORT TERM EVACUATION.
The BUSES full of people begin to pull away... one after another in a line... abandoned PET DOGS run after the buses, trying to stay with their owners...
ON THE ROOF OF THE POLISSYA HOTEL - Legasov and Shcherbina watch the evacuation in somber silence.
From here, we can see the scope of it.
The soldiers. The military vehicles. The abandoned cars. The dogs and cats. The circling helicopters.
The Soviet flags. The propaganda billboards.
And the endless convoy of buses as they drive away with the former citizens of Pripyat.
This time, it's Shcherbina who can't look. This time, it's Shcherbina who turns and walks away.
And the loudspeaker recording begins again.
LOUDSPEAKER ATTENTION. ATTENTION. ATTENTION.
254 EXT. EDGE OF PRIPYAT - NIGHT 254
As the last of the buses rumbles past the military checkpoint, a small CAR comes driving up toward the town.
Soldiers step out, hands raised. A few more ready their rifles. The car slows to a stop. ZUKAUSKAS, a soldier, moves toward the car.
ZUKAUSKAS NO ENTRY. TURN AROUND.
But instead, KHOMYUK rolls down her window. There are a dozen men with guns. She's terrified. But defiant.
ZUKAUSKAS I said turn around. This is a restricted zone.
KHOMYUK
I'm from the Byelorusian Institute of Nuclear--
SOUND: a HELICOPTER ZOOMS BY overhead. LOW. She flinches from the noise. The wind. This isn't where she belongs.
ZUKAUSKAS Do you have permission?
KHOMYUK Listen to me. I need to—
ZUKAUSKAS Turn around right now, or I will arrest you.
Only one option left. She gathers her courage.
KHOMYUK
If you arrest me, you should take me to the highest possible authority.
Another HELICOPTER rockets by. The guards look at each other. What is this woman on about?
255 EXT. POLISSYA HOTEL - NIGHT 255
A Red Army UAZ-469 drives up to the hotel. There are lights on in the lower windows. All of the windows above the first storey are dark...
256 INT. POLISSYA HOTEL - BANQUET ROOM - NIGHT 256
The type of place where you might have a wedding. The fancy lights and carpet are a strange contrast to Legasov and Shcherbina, who sit at a banquet table, looking at a large MAP of the region.
Legasov smokes as he talks. Shcherbina barely looks at the map. Seems lost in his thoughts.
LEGASOV
We have to start a radiological survey. Sector by sector. On foot— dosimeters in hand--
Legasov realizes Shcherbina isn't listening.
LEGASOV Are you all right?
Shcherbina lifts his head. Forces a reassuring smile. Then:
PIKALOV enters with KHOMYUK.
PIKALOV
I'm sorry to interrupt. The guards arrested this woman at the south checkpoint. I would have put her in a cell, but--
KHOMYUK
--but he thought you should know that I know.
Before Legasov can even ask—
KHOMYUK
I know your reactor core is exposed. I know the graphite is on fire, the fuel is melting, and you're dropping sand and boron on it. Which you probably thought was smart. But you've made a mistake.
(MORE)
KHOMYUK (cont'd)
(beat)
Ulana Yuriyvna Khomyuk, chief physicist, Byelorusian Institute for Nuclear Energy. You're Valery Alexeyevich Legasov?
He nods. A bit bewildered.
KHOMYUK
Smothering the core will put the fire out, but the temperature will eventually increase. It will melt down-He raises a hand to stop her.
LEGASOV
Believe me, I'm perfectly aware. But I estimate at least a month before it melts through the lower concrete pad, which gives us time to--
KHOMYUK
You don't have a month. You have approximately two days.
Before Legasov can respond, she puts the BLUEPRINTS down on top of their map. Points to the bottom of the reactor.
KHOMYUK
Yes, the fuel would take a month to reach the concrete pad here, but first it's going to burn through the biological shield here by Tuesday. And when it does, it's going to hit these tanks. Bubbler pools. Reser—
LEGASOV
Reservoirs for the ECS. I understand your concern, but I confirmed it with plant personnel-- the tanks are nearly empty.
KHOMYUK No. They were nearly empty.
That gets Legasov's attention. He leans in, concerned, as she points to the blueprints again.
KHOMYUK
Each of these points, here, here, here in the reactor hall... all drain to the bubbler pools.
Legasov leans back. Beginning to understand.
KHOMYUK
I'm guessing every pipe in the building ruptured. And then there are those fire engines I saw on the way in.
Pikalov turns to Legasov.
PIKALOV
The fire hoses are still connected. They've been gushing water into the structure this whole time.
LEGASOV (horrified) The tanks are full...
Shcherbina is utterly confused, but he can see from Legasov's face— something has gone terribly wrong.
257 INT./EXT. NEWS REPORTS - VARIOUS 257
The ugly globe-and-red-star logo of the Soviet nightly news program VREMYA ("time") gives way to an oddly-framed newsdesk in front of a large blue screen.
A female newsreader calmly reads a 14-second report. This is footage of the actual newscast made on April 28th, 1986.
Translation only is SUBTITLED over the footage.
VREMYA NEWS ANCHOR An official announcement from the Council of Ministers. There has been an accident at the Chernobyl atomic power station. One of the atomic reactors was damaged. Steps are being taken to deal with the situation, and aid is being given to those affected. The government has formed a commission of inquiry.
258 INT. KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT 258